It’s Budget Season:
Time to Invest in Public Schools | | |
Spring has sprung — and so have state budget discussions in Harrisburg. Now is an excellent time to educate our communities and elected officials about the barriers our students still face in low-wealth, underfunded school districts across the state.
To help Pennsylvanians better understand how public school funding works, ELC-PA has worked with partners in the PA Schools Work coalition to put together a comprehensive toolkit called ‘The Basics’ that includes an explanation of the adequacy gap – now $3.8 billion – which impacts 364 of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts.
Read more about Governor Shapiro’s 2026-2027 budget proposal in our statement and in this new brief by Pennsylvania Policy Center.
As we’ve done in previous years, ELC-PA and our allies will be going to Harrisburg for an advocacy day on May 6, which will include a rally and meetings with legislators to reinforce the message that our students need fairly funded public schools. Sign up here to join us!
| | Between now and June 30, please keep contacting your legislators. Urge them to support the governor’s adequacy funding proposal as well as additional increased investments in public education. | | School District of Philadelphia Implements Protocol in Response to ELC-PA’s Complaint | | In response to our state administrative complaint challenging the School District of Philadelphia’s failure to provide related services to students with disabilities (such as speech/language or counseling), the District has undertaken systemic reforms. In compliance with two Corrective Investigation Reports issued by the state, the protocol now being implemented explains how related services must be tracked and remediated when related services are not provided due to vacancies, staff leave, or provider workload overages. The new process requires notification to school leadership regarding missed services and a prompt offer to families to make up those services through additional sessions or compensatory education service awards. The protocol also reiterates progress monitoring requirements and re-evaluation and early intervention transition timelines. | | Strengthening Early Intervention:
Addressing Inequities in
Infant and Toddler Mental Health | | |
On behalf of the Thriving PA Coalition, ELC-PA partnered with PennAEYC to co-author a new report, Strengthening Connections: Early Intervention and Behavioral Health Services for Infants and Toddlers. This report presents new findings from a statewide project exploring how Pennsylvania’s Infant and Toddler Early Intervention (EI) program and behavioral health (BH) systems can effectively address the mental health needs of infants and toddlers.
While data indicates that Black and Brown infants and toddlers in PA are proportionately represented among those eligible for EI services, research shows the due to systemic and structural racism, young children receive disproportionately less intensive programs and interventions than their white peers, contributing to their pushout from early learning settings due in part to unaddressed mental health needs. Through a combination of research, survey questions, and focus groups, the report identifies both systemic challenges and promising opportunities for cross-sector collaborations between EI and BH systems to support the developmental needs of all infants and toddlers as required by federal and state disability laws. Read the full report here.
| | Parents Protest DVSD’s Capitulation
to U.S. Dept. of Education | | The Delaware Valley School District in Pike County has been subject to a resolution agreement from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) since 2016 that requires nondiscrimination against transgender students. Despite protests from alumni and parents and a superintendent’s report of no concerning incidents, the board of education recently asked OCR if continued compliance was required. OCR sent a letter dated February 25 reporting that the 2016 agreement was terminated and gave the district 30 days to rescind the trans-inclusive policies or be at risk of losing federal funding. At the request of concerned parents and community advocates, ELC-PA urged the district to maintain their commitment to safety and inclusion for all students as is still required under federal and state law. School boards should ensure continued compliance with applicable laws against sex and gender discrimination. Unfortunately, the Delaware Valley SD board of directors voted to eliminate their inclusive policy, despite significant and powerful testimony from many alumni and parents supporting the inclusive policies. Impacted families are encouraged to contact our Helpline to evaluate their legal options. | | |
Ensuring Access:
ELC-PA Holds Systems Accountable
for Transportation Failures
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In March, ELC-PA filed a systemic complaint with the PA Bureau of Early Intervention Services and Family Supports challenging the Delaware County Intermediate Unit’s failure to provide legally required transportation services for young children with disabilities to access their preschool programs and early intervention services. The complaint was filed on behalf of individual children and those “similarly situated.”
A school district’s failure to provide transportation creates a major barrier to accessing school and related services for young children with disabilities like those named in the complaint. As a result, children may be completely denied access to education or be placed in inappropriate and unsafe transportation arrangements.
These failures do not occur in a vacuum. They reflect and reinforce existing racialized and systemic educational barriers that disproportionately harm Black and Brown children, who are more likely to be denied the early intervention services to which they are legally entitled, driven by longstanding housing segregation, inequitable preschool funding, and underinvestment in community health services.
ELC-PA’s complaint seeks systemwide reforms to ensure transportation is not a barrier to accessing vital early intervention services, as well as compensatory education for all children deprived of an education due to these transportation failures.
| | Amicus Brief Filed in Support of
ELC-PA’s Pending Third Circuit Appeal | | |
On March 2, 2026, pro bono counsel from Troutman Pepper Locke submitted a compelling amicus brief on behalf of nine national and statewide organizations in support of ELC-PA’s second Third Circuit appeal on behalf of Y.C.Q., a determined high school student with a disability in the foster care system deprived of special education services. Following two successful due process hearings litigated by ELC-PA attorneys, Chichester School District refused to pay for an independent evaluation conducted by ELC-PA’s expert and refused to create an IEP for Y.C.Q. as required by the Hearing Officer’s decision during the pendency of the litigation. As a result, Y.C.Q. continues to be denied any special education services. ELC-PA along with pro bono partners at Dechert LLC is appealing the district court's decision to enjoin the state's enforcement of a final Hearing Officer’s decision. Learn more about the case here.
We are extremely grateful to our pro bono partners at Dechert and Troutman Pepper Locke for their extraordinary work and to our colleagues and partner organizations who joined this amicus brief and a prior amicus brief authored by the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA).
| | |
A CROWNing Achievement:
Eliminating School-Based
Racial Hair Discrimination at its Root
| | |
Join senior attorneys from the Education Law Center-PA on April 14, 2026 at 12 p.m. for a webinar about students’ rights to be free from racial hair discrimination and religious discrimination in schools and the legal protections now in place under Pennsylvania’s newly enacted CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair).
Racial hair discrimination — rooted in American slavery and often embedded in historic and contemporary school dress and grooming policies — has long been used to police Black students’ bodies, culture, and expression. Schools are prohibited under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) from discriminating against students based on their race, religion, and other protected characteristics, including by creating and enforcing discriminatory rules. These illegal practices are used by schools to push students out and reinforce racist and harmful stereotypes.
This webinar will examine how school-based dress and grooming policies have historically reinforced racial hair discrimination, what public schools must do to comply with the new law, and what type of reforms safeguard students' rights.
Register here.
| | Act 47 Explained: What New
Enrollment, Attendance, and Truancy Laws
Mean for Schools, Families, and Others | | |
In November 2025, the Pennsylvania legislature adopted new laws through Act 47 which impose new obligations on school districts, cyber charter schools, families, and courts regarding cyber school enrollment, residency notifications, attendance, and truancy. The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently issued an FAQ concerning these laws. On April 30th at 12 p.m. ELC-PA attorneys will provide a webinar to explain the new requirements, what they mean for schools, families, judges, and children and youth agencies, and how to navigate these changes in the best interest of children.
Register here.
| | Opportunities to Provide Feedback
on the School District of Philadelphia’s
2026-27 Code of Conduct | | |
The School District of Philadelphia is beginning the review process for the 2026-27 Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct is designed to outline clear expectations for all school community members, provide information on student and parent/guardian rights and available supports, and equip staff with information for addressing student behavior.
The District is seeking feedback from the community via three channels:
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Complete the survey here.
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Join a virtual session on April 7th at 4pm. Register here.
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Join a virtual session on April 9th at 4pm. Register here.
| | National Library Week
and Right to Read Day of Action | | |
National Library Week, April 19-25, is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and library professionals play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.
In conjunction with National Library Week, an ongoing campaign opposing book bans is organizing the fourth annual “Right to Read Day,” a national day of action on April 20 around the theme: “Drawn to Freedom.”
The Unite Against Book Bans campaign offers suggested actions for April 20, ranging from registering to vote to sharing the latest data on censorship in libraries. Did you know that from January 2025 through March 2026, more than 116 pro-censorship bills were introduced in state legislatures?
One action we recommend is reading and sharing ELC-PA’s fact sheet, Challenging Book Bans: What You Can Do.
| | Celebrate With Us September 30, 2026! | | |
Mark your calendar today! We invite you to join us on Sept. 30, 2026, for the Education Law Center’s 51st anniversary celebration at Vie by Cescaphe in Philadelphia. Sponsorships are available now. ELC-PA’s premier fundraiser serves as a unique opportunity to connect with key stakeholders in education advocacy. Please contact Ariella Gregson to learn more about partnership benefits.
We hope you will celebrate with us this fall!
Learn more about the many ways you can support ELC-PA here.
| | Check Out our Job Postings! | | Education Law Center-PA | 215-238-6970 (Philadelphia) | 412-258-2120 (Pittsburgh) | | A copy of the official registration and financial information of the Education Law Center-PA may be obtained from the Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-880-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. | | | | |
